Elon Musk's Starlink Faces Its First Major Test Against G5 Solar Storm

Elon Musk's Starlink, a satellite internet service, primarily provides high-speed internet connections to the Earth's surface through satellites operating in low Earth orbit. This service essentially utilizes radio technology, making it susceptible to space weather under extreme conditions.

Starlink is currently experiencing a decline in availability, attributed to a G5-level geomagnetic storm occurring on Earth — a natural phenomenon caused by a high-energy particle stream from the Sun bombarding the Earth, interacting with the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.

Most of Starlink's internet satellites were launched into low Earth orbit in recent years, and before this, they had not experienced such severe solar storms. However, engineers had anticipated these issues during the design phase.

Elon Musk mentioned on X/Twitter that the Starlink satellites are currently under significant pressure but are still holding up. Despite the decrease in internet connectivity availability, it remains operational for now.

Considering this is the first G5-level geomagnetic storm since October 2003, if Starlink can withstand the impacts of this solar storm, it is unlikely to face significant issues thereafter, unless there are more intense solar storms.

Additionally, Starlink has posted a notice about the decline in service quality at the top of its official website, stating that the team is investigating the issue. However, a specific explanation page has not been published yet.